Lantigua, hinting at voter fraud as a reason for the close election, asked residents to come to his office and sign a petition if they support the recount.

Lantigua said he would accept the outcome if he is not the winner and would work with Rivera for a smooth transition.

“If you hear the sentiment of the people, there were quite a few things reported that did not work properly. All we want to do is make sure the constitutional rights of the people are obeyed by and respected,” Lantiqua told WBZ-TV’s Bree Sison on Sunday. “At the end of the day, if we are not the ones declared the winner, we will accept that and continue working to make sure our community moves forward.”

Rivera told WBZ-TV that Lantigua is “prolonging the inevitable.”

“We’re going to continue with the transition,” Rivera said. “We’ve got a lot to do; we’ve got big plans. We’ve got to make this city better. The administrative process of a recount is going happen and we’re prepared to fight for those votes.”

After Lantigua’s radio announcement, Rivera told WBZ-TV that Lantigua only ever does what’s in his own best interest and Lawrence has been “on pause” for far too long.

When asked about Lantigua’s hinting at voter fraud, Rivera laughed. “This was one of the better run elections,” he said. “We are talking about optically scanned ballots. Not much is going to change.”